Lipscomb holds off surging Jacksonville 77-74 in ASUN opener

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) Rob Marberry scored 13 points to lead four in double-figure scoring and defending Atlantic Sun Conference champion Lipscomb held off Jacksonville 77-74 on Saturday night in a conference opener.

Lipscomb had a double-digit lead for most of the second half until Jacksonville began its 10-2 surge with just under five minutes left to pull to 75-72 with 23.5 seconds remaining. Michael Buckland then missed the front end of a 1-and-1, but Jacksonville's Tyreese Davis missed a 3 on the other end with 16 seconds to go. Buckland made 2 of 4 free throws in the final seconds between a JD Notae layup.

Eli Pepper added 11 points and 12 rebounds for Lipscomb (10-4, 1-0), which bounced back from an 84-67 loss at Clemson on Sunday. Buckland finished with 11 points and Nathan Moran chipped in with 10.